Two airlines are saying that they have been told to stay away from the Beijing International Airport on the evening of 8 August, as the facility would be closed during the Olympics opening ceremony. It has also been revealed that additional security is being added as foreigner entertainers coming in for the games are subjected to higher levels of scrutiny.

The closing has not been officially announced, but local media outlets and airline companies have said that the Beijing's airport will be closing for approximately four hours during the Olympics opening ceremony, having an impact on dozens of flights.

A spokesman for the airport has claimed that the reports are false, saying that the airport was welcoming all flights to the capital city.

Hong Kong-based carrier Cathay Pacific has announced that it would postpone a flight that was scheduled to arrive in Beijing at the time of the ceremony, after being informed by Chinese officials that they would close the airport during the opening of the Olympics, which is scheduled at the auspicious time of 8 p.m.

Carolyn Leung, a spokeswoman for Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong confirmed that she was informed the Beijing airport would not be open to traffic from 7 p.m. to midnight on 8 August. She added that their flight from Hong Kong scheduled to arrive at 9:45 p.m. would land at 1 a.m. instead.

Air China's customer service group has said that they also were notified that the airport would be closed during the ceremony. The carrier is an official sponsor of the Olympics.